Friday, November 25, 2011

Well another topic I'm passionate about, CLEAN EATING. For those who have read previous blogs you all know how passionate I am about healthy eating and organic foods, so i thought i'd share another quick, healthy, nutritious meal. Do you all know the health benefits of kale? Excellent source of...

Yes but lets face it at some point it's hard to get creative with it. So here is a fabulous dish the whole family will love.

First off what I like to do is when I buy kale is wash it, strip the stem off, cut into small pieces and freeze. It makes life a whole lot easier.

Ingredients you will need :

1 bunch kale (prepped like I mentioned above)

1 large onion

1/2 squash (butter nut)

1 cup grated chedder (no not the orange one, cheddar is actually like most other cheeses, the orange has coloring in it, so stick to the real thing!)

3 tablespoons of flour

1/2 cup of milk

salt and pepper

How to put it together:In a deep pan layer kale, onion, grated or sliced squash, salt and pepper, sprinkle a little flour and cheese.repeat layering till you get to the top. End with cheese and top with squash. Pour the milk over it all.Bake at 350' for about 20 mins or till you see that it's shrunk down half the height. Let stand a few minutes and serve.E voila !!!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Being a mom is so time consuming that we really don't realize how fast time goes by. When Lewis was barely weeks old I'd be out with him and the moms I would encounter all had the same thing to say...."enjoy it cuz it fly s by" at the time I wanted to reply "really cuz it ain't going fast enough !!!" exhausted and over worried I wondered when my next full night of thoughtless sleep would be, would there ever be a full night of sleep...??? Well almost 18 months later I"M STILL WAITING!!!!

We're getting there, s l o w l y but surely!

So New moms take the time now, open up the album look back, smile, cry, laugh... and remember to take the time every once and awhile to look back...

Friday, November 11, 2011

These are the last couple of days before the real cold hits and well we won't be visiting the park as often, probably not at all for a long while. Winters are so ooo ooo ooo long here in Montreal, It seems never ending!
Exactly why I really took advantage of my summer! We were at the park twice a day, having fun, swinging, sliding and meeting other kids!!! But- it doesn't mean we have to stay indoors all winter. Last winter I was out almost every day, except those really -35 cold days, but other than that I would get Lewis all wrapped up and off we went. The outdoors do wonders for both mommy and baby, the fresh air , seeing other people and just getting out of the house and changing the scenery helped soooo much. This year will be different, Lewis won't be strapped to me all nice and snuggled in my coat. I'm sure Lewis will want to walk and play in the snow for the first time! This will be a new adventure for us both! I'm looking forward to seeing his face on the first snow fall, and the wonder in his eyes when he gets to touch snow! So many new and wonderful things to look forward to.

It`s a scary thought for a new mom, to be stuck inside all winter with a baby or toddler !!! What will I do?? How will the day go by?? Will he get bored?? Will I get bored?? All questions I asked myself last fall when the cold started to hit, and well it really wasn't that bad. Begin by setting up a routine...
Wake up
a little relax time slowly coming out of sleep, we would read together in my bed. then
Breakfast
as I prepared something for us to eat I set him in his chair with a few toys, most of the time he wanted a spoon and bowl!( a real chef I tell you)
We eat
then some relaxing on the couch with his favorite toys or even a favorite cartoon! ( you heard me sometimes it's the only way, I love Handy Manny -now LOL)
Nap time
the beauty of babies is that they nap a lot, so before I knew it we were back in bed all cozy!
Up and dressed then
Lunch
we would have lunch and off we went out into the cold, all nice and bundled and warm! We would stay out for about an hour of so.
Come home
snack time with more play time
Cooking Lessons
I would put Lewis in his chair and cook up our supper , he loved watching me. I would make him smell everything, garlic, tomatoes, onions, carrots, basil, he loved it.He would have fun playing with all the food .
Eat
we would eat , clear up and a little more play and then it was bed time routine.
Bath, story time , lullaby and nighty night for Lewis
and the couch for me, EXHAUSTING I tell you! Well worth it!
The routine helped cuz I knew exactly what came next and so did Lewis so it made for 2 happy souls!

I really enjoyed it , make the best of it- it passes oh so fast before you know it you`ll be swinging your baby from the swing again wondering when he became a toddler!
L&L

Thursday, November 3, 2011

So it's been about a week since I've introduced the new method of sleep, "THE BED".
It's been very positive, He's been falling asleep with no rocking or fussing, we basically get in and do some relaxing. I hum or sing a few of his favorite lullabies, and before I know it he's snuggling next to be fast asleep. There have been sometimes where he's more excited and thinks it's all a big game, so I explain it to him that here in his bed we relax and do "doe, doe".
He LOVES his room now, he's always in it, he goes there to play or just to chill on his carpet. It's so nice to see his room is now HIS room, not only in theory!!!

I have also been able to ween him off the breast milk!!!!!!!!! YES you all heard right, Lewis is finally weaned!!!16 months not bad. Not bad for this longer method of letting the child sort of decide. I basically one night offered him the bottle instead of the breast and he took it!!! I guess with all the newness he experienced this too was a new thing he was OK with. It went well, my boobies, not so well. They were so swollen still are and I just started drinking sage tea to help with the engorgement, It's helping! He'll still ask for it from time to time, the other day, during an afternoon nap he was awoken too early and he kept pointing and asking for breast milk. I explained mommy has no more milk, and offered the bottle, he cried a little and then took the bottle and went back to sleep.
FANTASTIC!
It's always a little sad for both parties, I think if it doesn't stop somewhere it'll go on forever!!! We still do lots of cuddles and snuggle up close like we use to do while breastfeeding. I hope it helps. He'll eventually forget, so they say. lol I'm guessing he'll be a future "breast man" !!!

Look for my up coming blog on POTTY TRAINING!!! (it's never too early)